On Wedding Days
by Zentauria
Summary: "...we look to the future with optimism and joy." Well, mostly, anyway. Some things are bound to take a turn for the awkward when you have a great, big party right after a crisis. But it's the wedding of a crazy genius and his assistant, so who cares?
1. Kai&Jinora - Out of Place

**Welcome, dear readers, to a collection of assorted wedding shenanigans!**

 **I figured the show's final was too heartwarming to be left alone, and I was inspired. But more about this story at the end.**

 **For the start a little Kainora fluff, because I'm just about unable to keep my mind off those two when writing for LoK.**

* * *

"I'm not one to complain, but why have we been invited to this wedding again?" Kai asks, his tone very much a complaint indeed. He's fiddling with the tablecloth, his expression giving off an air of boredom.

Jinora however, seat neighbor and only person close enough to hear the words over the general clamor, picks up a different vibe. More attuned to her boyfriend's mood than anyone else, she can easily see through the facade he spent years carefully building and maintaining. She's very well aware that he's not toying with the tablecloth because he can't think of a better way to pass the time. Another dead giveaway is the plate in front of him, laden with fried vegetables, egg rice and potato gratin. If asked what about the plate is odd, anyone who isn't Jinora would probably remark on how the gratin doesn't quite fit with the rest. But Kai is decidedly far from being a picky eater. It's the fact that the food remains _untouched_ which is concerning, as the ex-pickpocket is not the type to leave full plates unattended.

It worries her a bit, but for now, Jinora plays along. "Well, I'd say it has to do with the fight against Kuvira's giant mechasuit. You know, saving each other's lives and stuff?"

"Nah, that would be too obvious."

Jinora laughs quietly. Not because Kai's retort is tremendously funny, it's his inevitable smirk she wants to see. Nothing like some friendly banter to lift the mood, and with that out of the way, she's perfectly willing to take things a bit further.

"Come on, Mister Asparagus, your food is getting cold!" She brandishes her chopsticks and picks up a piece of fried zucchini from her boyfriend's plate. A winning smile graces her lips. "Say 'ah'!"

"Oh no, Jin, not gonna happen!" Kai has stopped messing up the tablecloth in favor of raising his hands in a defensive gesture. True, they've been waiting long enough to do actual couple things (being busy saving the world all the time really tends to screw up one's love life), but there are certain embarrassment limits the teen is not intending to cross. "Besides, I'm not an aspa..."

Too bad 'asparagus' has a couple ah-sounds, even discounting the 'I' and the 'an'.

Still smirking, Jinora pulls her chopsticks free of Kai's teeth, while her boyfriend gives in to his fate and swallows. He's one-hundred percent sure that the girl chose that word very deliberately.

"I hate you," he grumbles, picking up his own chopsticks.

Jinora remains unimpressed and gives a cheery "I know!" (cheery by Jinora's standards, that is) before her grin fades, making room for a more serious expression. "So, will you tell me now what's _really_ bothering you?"

Kai's eyebrows, up to then furrowed in indignation, take a little detour upwards. Alarmed. Then he relaxes and places his chopsticks back on the table.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he sighs. His gaze is trained at his plate, but Jinora would be a hog monkey's aunt if he actually saw it.

"We both know you're not really trying," she states calmly, causing Kai to run a hand through his hair before he starts fumbling around with one of the wings buttoned to his torso. A small smile tugs at Jinora's lips – no matter what Kai wears, he'd _always_ find something to fiddle with, and it's _adorable_! But she suppresses the urge, she can admire her boyfriend later. Right now, she needs to be serious, and teenage girls on off-the-rails-crazy hormones generally aren't.

"It's just..." Kai begins slowly, and _thank Raava_ for the instant focus. The boy has switched his fumbling back to his eating utensils, now holding a chopstick clamped between his fingers and applying just enough force to bend it without breaking. "I feel so out of place here, with all these high society people around, jammed into one spot. I'm not particularly close with Varrick or Zhu Li, either." He finally stops his chopstick-bending and adds with some more vigor, "Until today, I didn't even know Varrick is not his first name. Everyone calls him that, Bolin does, Korra does, Asami does... Spirits, even his _wife_ does!"

At the last couple words, he turns to face Jinora, stretching out an arm to underline his statement. The girl ponders the points her boyfriend has made for a bit, sorting out words.

"Kai, you're not a conning street rat anymore," she makes clear. "You're a valuable member of the Air Nation, and the most talented airbender I've ever seen. If that's not enough for you, then consider this: You're friends with the Avatar, practically adopted by a mover star, and the boyfriend of the youngest airbending master in Air Nomad history. You're not a lesser being than any of these people. You got an invitation, and that means you have every right to be here. Besides..." And at that, Jinora allows herself to smile. "Bolin didn't know Varrick's name either, and _he_ was the one who performed the wedding ceremony."

The laugh Kai emits sounds a bit forced, but it's a laugh nonetheless. "Too bad I missed that! I bet he was freaking."

"Believe me, he was," Jinora confirms, chuckling at the memory. The buoyant earthbender has been jumping around like a child on sugar and yelled Varrick's full name at everyone in the vicinity, regardless of whether they wanted to hear it or not.

There is short pause, and Jinora notices with relief that Kai has ceased his fidgeting altogether.

"Thanks, Jin," he says earnestly, and is rewarded with a beaming smile on Jinora's part.

"Always," she replies and leans in for quick peck on the cheek. "Can't have my wonderful boyfriend running himself down. At a wedding no less."

"Good to know you care about the wedding so much," Kai quips, his trademark smirk back on his face. Then he grabs his chopsticks and proceeds to invade Jinora's plate with them.

"Your turn now!"

Jinora chuckles, she has absolutely no problem with letting herself be fed by her boyfriend. And with the dire wrong committed against him successfully avenged, the two teens are very content indeed.

* * *

 **1k is... nothing. To me, it feels close to nothing. But I need to practice fluff. So on a scale from 1 to 10, how horrible was it? (Not too horrible, I hope.)**

 **So, I have a couple scenarios playing in my head, and I'll type them out one by one. More characters will be added, genres will be jumped... Goal is to have an interesting snippet for everyone, so even if you're not into Kainora, there'll be other stuff. After all, that's what a collection is all about, right?**

 **If you want, tell me which character you'd like to see next. I can't make any promises, though. If I don't have an idea for a certain character, then I'm not going to force it. I wouldn't like the result, so you probably wouldn't either.**

 **Well then, that's it, folks! Zentauria over and out!**


	2. Zuko&Katara - Reminiscence

**Yup, I'm back with this. Did you miss me? No? That's fine, I'll stick around anyway.**

 **So now, I present to you: Old people!**

* * *

"May I join you?"

Katara turns to the source of the voice, recognizing it as the one belonging to her friend Zuko. She smiles mildly, which is answer enough for the old firebender.

They're standing a bit off the festival grounds of Air Temple Island, seeking refuge from the excitement of the wedding. Faint music carries through the air, together with the buzz of multiple conversations. The Spirit Portal lights up the sky in a never-ending double helix.

"It's hard to believe how much has changed," Zuko says, a reverent undertone in his voice. Then he adds more jokingly, "We're getting old."

"Indeed we are," Katara agrees pensively, then she turns away, staring off into the distance. Zuko follows her gaze, and for a while, they share a companionable silence.

After a few minutes, the waterbender speaks up again, "I will move here."

Surprise is written all over Zuko's face when he turns to his friend, but it doesn't take long for understanding to dawn on his features and a smile graces his lips. "That's a great idea. I always told you to spend more time with your family."

"And never stopped swooning about Izumi." Katara laughs softly. "I remember."

"Children are the best part of growing old," Zuko states wistfully. "I feel I haven't spent enough time with my family during the past years myself. Even after seventy years, the world still seems to heap tasks over tasks upon us."

"Or maybe we're just too used to taking them on," Katara says. "I think it's time to retire, and see how the world does without us. It has a new Team Avatar now."

"I suppose you're right." Zuko turns his gaze forward again, and his eyes are involuntarily drawn to the Spirit Portal. "Speaking of family, Korra mentioned that she met my uncle in the Spirit World. It's been three years since then, and I haven't had the time to visit the Poles. There has been too much to do."

Katara's face remains solemn. "It's a shame how time slips through our fingers. But it's even more of a reason to finally cut loose from our responsibilities and leave them to the children. I'm sure Iroh would be happy to see you when you find the time."

"You're right."

They fall back into silence, both caught up in their own thoughts. Again, it's Katara who breaks out of it first: "A long time ago, I met a fortune teller who predicted that I would once marry a very powerful bender. She also predicted that I would have three great-grandchildren." She doesn't feel the need to add the 'before quietly passing away'. She has no problem with talking about her death, she knows her time on earth is leaning towards its end. However, a wedding is no place for such topics. "I look forward to meeting them."

"Jinora is already dating that Earth Kingdom boy, isn't she?" Zuko observes. "Childhood crushes seem to run in the family. Remember how Bumi tried to woo Izumi when he was ten?"

"I remember you freaking out in the most hilarious manner," Katara retorts with an amused undertone. "Until Izumi pointed out that you and Mai had mutual crushes when you were nine. Sometimes, it all works out fine."

"True..." Zuko admits. "I wonder who of us will meet their great-grandchildren first. Iroh and Ashila are old enough to have children, but both of them are currently uncommitted."

"I'm sure they'll find their significant other."

"I do not doubt it." Zuko takes a deep breath. "It feels great to be talking again, Katara. I never really got used to radioing. It's not the same."

"Not the same to old relics like ourselves," Katara says with a soft chuckle. "Progress has a way of running away from us. It's a true marvel how our children manage to keep up."

"I'm not entirely sure they do." Zuko laughs. "They're only better at hiding the fact."

"Perhaps." Katara, too, is amused. "So the first item on my family list is a crash course on proper usage of a radio."

"We can practice together," Zuko smirks. "But first, how do you feel about teaching those youngsters a thing or two about dancing?"

That's right, Katara thinks. Nobody seems to know how to dance these days. And now that she decided to let her responsibilities go and enjoy life to the fullest in her old days, this is as good a point as any to start. Zuko has never been a graceful dancer, especially compared to her late husband. But Katara herself isn't the most agile anymore, so it probably won't matter. Plus, the serene mirth Zuko got from his uncle has woken a part of Katara which has been buried for a long time – the joyful, fun-loving part of her youth. She grins.

"I'd be honored to have this dance, Your Fieriness."

Zuko returns the grin, prompted by Katara's use of Aang's nickname for him. The sting of loss is far outweighed by the happy memories invoked, and when the two friends return to the party, headed for the dance floor, they feel a warm breeze. Neither of them could help sensing Aang's bright presence in it, full of hope and cheerfulness.

After all, that's what weddings are all about. A bright future.

* * *

 **I've been wanting to try my hand at Zutara for months, and this is kind of a test run... SO. MUCH. FAIL. I like to say that life as a multishipper is beautiful, but I guess I'm still a Kataanger at heart. Canon shipping and all that. This scene was close to impossible, and it didn't even have Zutara!**

 **Or maybe I just suck at writing elderly people. Either way, I've been wrestling with this for the past month, and I'm proud to announce that I'm quite happy with the outcome. At least I suppose that neither Zutarians nor Kataangers ran screaming.**

 **I know neither Zuko nor Katara show up on-screen at the wedding, but I wager they'd still be invited since Varrick Industries is so international and huge, I bet they sat together at some point.**


End file.
